200th Post

Hard to believe that this is my 200th post! Someday, I hope that Matty goes back and reads this blog about his childhood. He has had a good week so far. We had a nice visit with the food OT and the lead OT yesterday to discuss his developmental milestones. The lead OT had been to our house when Matty first came home from the hospital...he was only about 6 lbs and on oxygen. She was very thrilled to see him now! I also decided that I would go ahead and try to cut his hair, since it was getting very bushy on top. I think I did a pretty good job? Here are the before pics...

and here is the after!

New Teeth?

We have had a low key week so far...pool on Sunday (after the 3 thunderstorms blew through), gymnastics yesterday...and for the past 2 nights, Matty decided to wake up screaming every other hour throughout the night. Last night, he was up at 11:30, 1:00, 3:00, just to name a few times. I actually broke our new rule of letting him soothe himself, and rocked him back to sleep a couple of times due to his sobs. So, just as we drift off to sleep, his crying can be heard once again. We think that his 2-year molars are trying to come in, (the doc had noticed that his gums were puffy a couple of weeks ago). I sure hope these teeth hurry up and break through! I think I'll try to give him some pain medication before bed tonight. Other than that, he is still such a busy boy all the time! I think that it is almost time for a real haircut...his locks are getting pretty long and I don't think that I do a very good job. I heard of a salon where he could sit in a truck and watch movies during the haircut, but I still think that he would be afraid of the whole process. Maybe I'll break down and take him there next week.

Up and Down

Matty now loves to walk down the stairs all by himself. He says 'up and down' and goes for it. He's usually pretty good with holding on to the railing, but I am still paranoid about him falling. He has also finally started to enjoy watching cartoons. Every morning, he watches Dora and Spongebob. I got a pic of him sitting on the couch and contently watching one of his favorite shows today. On a side note, I just made a new milk shake concoction out of chocolate milk and yogurt. Since Matty went on strike against bottles, the only way I can get milk into him is to make milk shakes, which he eats with spoons. His food OT told me once that some little ones only like milk in bottles and water in sippy cups. Jeremy and I were never big milk drinkers, but I still want Matty to get milk, even if it has to be in disguise.

4th of July Weekend

Matty had a very busy 4th of July weekend. He was able to try out his new inflatable ring at the swimming pool on Saturday morning. Then, we went shopping and out to an italian dinner later in the day. He actually ate some chicken strips, french fries, and bread without any issues. On Sunday morning, we went to our neighborhood parade. A fire truck was there for all of the little kids to check out...Matty even got to sit inside! Then, we went to my parents' house for dinner. The little guy fell asleep before the fireworks. We also moved his toy room across the hall. I think he's used to it now, but at first, he kept bringing toys back into the old room!

Hittin' the Charts

Matty had his 2 year checkup today (a little bit past his 2nd birthday). He screamed the entire time, as usual. The nurse measured his height first, which came in at 34 inches. When she went over to the computer to type it in, she asked me if I had noticed him getting a lot taller lately, and I said yes. Then, she decided to remeasure him, since he grew a lot taller since the last visit. The 2nd measurement came in closer to 33 inches. He did not want to stand on the big boy scale, so he had to sit on the baby scale instead. He weighed in at 24 lbs 2 oz. The best news was that he was in the 11th percentile for height and finally made the chart for weight! He was only in the 6th percentile, but he is still being compared to babies who were born full-term in May '08. So, Matty (born May 26 at 1 lb 1 oz) is compared to a much larger baby born on May 1, for example. Oh well, at least he's on the chart and the doc seemed satisfied. He received the MMR shot finally, and then we were able to leave. I was so happy to hear that the next round of shots won't be until he is 4 or 5 years old!

On the Move

Matty had a busy weekend and enjoyed every minute. We took him to the pool on Saturday morning, then went out to dinner with my parents at Bravos that night. He tried calamari for the first time, which he decided to spit out (as expected). On Sunday morning, we met our friends Mike, Danica, and their twins at a park to play for a little while. It was getting really hot, so we went over to the Legends instead. We settled on the T-Rex Cafe, where the little ones enjoyed looking at all of the mechanical dinosaurs. It was pretty cute to see Matty, Marshall, & Roman all lined up in high chairs! You would never guess now that the 3 boys were such peanuts when they were born (Matty was their neighbor for awhile in the NICU). We had a fun morning but were pretty exhausted when we got home!

Lucky Boy

Matthew had a fun day on Friday hanging out with all of his Great Grandparents. The Sisels visited in the morning, and he saw his Nana in the afternoon. Even though Matty never had the chance to meet his Great Grandpa Bud, he often brings a picture of him to me and points to him while smiling. What a lucky boy to have so many admirers!

Father's Day

We had a nice Father's Day weekend. We went out to dinner, spent some time at the pool, and went to my parents' house for dinner. Matty went down the big waterslide with Jeremy 3 times! I was surprised that liked it so much. The trick is to keep his face out of the water at the bottom of the slide. He definitely loves being at the pool!

Staying Cool

We have been trying to keep Matty busy inside during this heat wave. He tends to bounce off the walls and is into everything however. Sure hope the heat breaks soon so that he can run around outside once again!

Flower Power

We have the prettiest rose bushes and flowers in our backyard. I tried to make Matty pose in front of some of them, and it took awhile to get just a few good shots! Other than that, we have mostly been staying inside this week due to the heat. He did better at his gymnastics class yesterday...he held on to the bar and swung his legs, got on the trampoline for a little while, and went through the obstacle course. I think he'll get the hang of it a bit more each time he goes.

Food

So, Matthew's overactive gag reflex is still rearing its ugly head. Since he was a preemie and was intubated for 7 weeks, his upper pallet is very high, and food tends to get stuck up there. Some days go by with no incidents, but then others are more frustrating. Today, he was eating his lunch and a piece of mac & cheese set off 2 throwups. I know that I have to be patient as he slowly outgrows this, but it really gets old cleaning up the kitchen floor and getting him a change of clothes. And he still isn't very solid with a sippy cup. Most times, he's ok, but once in a while he will choke on the liquid. I need to keep it in perspective...in the grand scheme of everything, his eating isn't that big of a deal. He is a healthy, active boy, and will just have to outgrow this! On a lighter note, here are a few pics from the past 2 days. We have mostly been inside trying to stay cool!

Gymnastics Class

We had a nice weekend...we went out to dinner on Saturday, and then visited the NICU on Sunday to bring cupcakes for Matty's 2nd birthday. We saw several of our nurse friends there, whom we will always love. Matty was a bit shy but waved to the nurses before we left. We took him to the pool later that day, and he went into the big pool for the first time with Jeremy. He loved kicking his feet and watching all of the kids around him. Yesterday, he attended his first gymnastics class. It was a bit chaotic, about 20 kids & 20 parents and only 3 teachers...but he liked the balance beam and the giant parachute the best. There were only 3 boys in total, so pretty good odds for the little guy!

Fashion Show

Matty received so many nice presents for his birthday, including some nice new summer outfits. Despite having an earache this week, he enjoyed wearing some of his new clothes. With temps in the high 80's and low 90's, he is definitely staying cool!

Little Swimmer

Today, we took Matty to the neighborhood pool for the first time. At first, he was a little timid and did not want to even get his feet wet. However, he soon discovered how much fun it was to walk around the baby pool. We had to leave once it started to thunder, and he didn't want to leave! Hopefully we will get him in the bigger pool next time, but his first time was a success!